Sir Peter Tapsell officially opens the Louth and District Hospice

James Silcocks

The Louth and District Hospice has been officially opened by our area’s recently retired MP, Sir Peter Tapsell, at a ceremony this month.

Sir Peter, who represented our area continuously between 1966 and 2015, was invited along to the ceremony with Lady Tapsell on Friday May 8 to mark the official opening.

It gives me much pleasure to unveil this plaque to commemorate this occasion.

Sir Peter Tapsell

Founder and Trustee Doreen Stephenson welcomed them to the Hospice, along with other guests, including chairman of East Lindsey District Council, Coun Robert Palmer, Mayor of Louth Coun Andrew Leonard, and the local architect who designed the Hospice building, Guy Kemp.

The chairman of Louth and District Hospice, Dale Crombleholme, gave a brief summary of the work of the Hospice since it was established in 2002, and identified some of the potential opportunities for local palliative care in the future.

He then introduced Sir Peter Tapsell, who said: “I am delighted to be here today to officially open the Louth office.

“My wife and I have watched with great interest the work of the many volunteers and community supporters over the years which has resulted in this wonderful facility for the residents of Louth and District.

“It gives me much pleasure to unveil this plaque to commemorate this occasion.”

Doreen Stephenson then gave details of the various partnerships that have been established by the Hospice over the years, including Age UK Lindsey with the Home Support Service, Linkage with the garden maintenance, and St Barnabas Hospice with whom they have established a partnership to deliver clinical services on the site.

Jane Bake of St Barnabas Hospice then gave a brief summary of the many clinical services that were available to patients, their families and carers.

Finally, guests were invited to view the facilities available and meet with representatives of both Hospices.

The Louth and District Hospice was founded back in 2002 in response to a very real and urgent need in the local community.

By October 2002 the Hospice’s business plan had been launched, and by November an ambitious £250,000 fundraising bid had also been launched.

The following summer, in June 2003, the Hospice formed a partnership with United Hospitals Lincolnshire Trust Limited (ULHT) and East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust, which allowed the delighted founders of the Hospice to be able to open a new palliative respite day care facility at the Woldside Day Unit at Louth Country Hospital for one day per week.

Just a few months later, in November, the appeal target was reached thanks to the generosity of local residents and businesses.

During 2004, the Hospice sought to consolidate its position, working with potential partners in the NHS and pursuing their efforts to find a suitable site for the Hospice. Fortunately, the following autumn, the trustees were granted the donation of three acres of land by the late Mr Frank Nicholson for the building of the new Hospice.

In February 2007 the Hospice launched its Home Support Service to support patients with life limiting and life threatening illnesses in their own homes, as well as supporting families and carers

In 2012, Louth-based architect Guy Kemp designed the building, and the contract to build the Hospice was awarded to Higgins Builders Limited, based in the nearby village of Grainthorpe.

Following detailed discussions in 2013, the trustees decided to work in partnership with St Barnabas Hospice to provide clinical day care services.

The unique partnership provides the opportunity for joint working with an existing clinical service provided by St Barnabas for the support of East Lindsey residents with terminal illnesses, together with support for their families and carers.

The work of Louth and District Hospice has been successful due to the hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm of all the volunteers, who have worked tirelessly over the past 13 years.